Page 32 of To Heal a Broken Earl (The Rakes of Mayhem #7)

“That sounds like Finn,” Michael said at the sound of distant barking and whining. But he knew the sound of Finn’s barks, and this sounded like the dog had been hurt.

Something was very wrong.

“That bastard is here!”

The three men raced through the kitchen to the back door, the quickest way to the stables. Michael threw open the door to find Finn lying on the bottom step to the entryway, shaking and bleeding.

The dog held up his head as he managed to stand. His fur was stained with blood from what looked to be a large, deep gash on his side.

Michael carefully picked up the trembling dog, who was whimpering in pain. “He’s been severely kicked,” Michael said, as a cold dread shot up his spine. “It’s all right, my brave lad—we’ll get you fixed in no time.” The dog covered his face with licks.

“It’s Morgrave,” he said in a grim tone. “He’s here and he has her.” The words tasted bitter on his tongue. His heart plummeted. This was his fault. He had promised to keep Emma safe, and he’d failed her.

Wright pulled a whistle out of his pocket and sharply blew three times, the agreed-upon emergency signal to the guards manning the estate that the perimeter had been breached. The guards would know to come to the house immediately for directions.

“I can take Finn back in, and then I’ll join you,” Armstrong said, taking the dog in his arms and turning just as the door swung open. Hastings and Stanhope both rushed out and stopped in their tracks.

“My lord?” Hastings asked.

“Lady Emma has been taken,” Michael said. “It appears Finn tried to defend her but was hurt. Hastings, I remember seeing Dr. Bianchi at the party talking to Lady Beadle. Take Finn inside and ask Dr. Bianchi to help him.”

“I’ll take care of him, my lord.” Carefully, Hastings took the dog from Armstrong and quickly carried him inside the house.

“Let’s go,” Michael said.

They began to run toward the stables when they saw the smoke billowing up. “Look!” Wright shouted.

“My God, the bastard set fire to the stables,” Armstrong bit out.

“I’ll organize the fire brigade,” Stanhope said, out of breath, as he arrived behind the men.

“Stanhope, I’d rather you go back inside—you’ve been through enough in your life.” Michael didn’t want his loyal retainer to get hurt.

“Never you mind about that, my lord,” Stanhope countered. “Look lively, boys,” he shouted to the footmen who’d been on patrol and had just arrived.

“We’ll put the horses in the corral,” Michael said as they all rushed into the stables.

Within minutes, Michael, Wright, and Armstrong, along with several footmen, got the horses out, locking them into the outer ring, away from the burning structure.

As Michael and the others rescued the horses, Stanhope and the other footmen were joined by Mrs. Peppers and several servants from the house, along with Burns and Hastings, who’d no doubt alerted them and left Finn in the care of the doctor.

They’d swiftly formed two lines from the well to the stables and begun putting out the fire.

Stanhope barked out orders to several footmen to douse the hay bales that hadn’t yet caught fire to keep it contained.

“Stanhope will have the stables under control,” Armstrong said as they corralled the last of the horses.

“We need to find her,” Michael said, his voice cracking.

He directed his footmen who were the fastest riders to saddle up.

“Lord Morgrave—the man in the picture we showed you—has taken Lady Emma Grantham. We need to find them. We’ll divide up and search the property.

They can’t have gotten far,” he said as he finished cinching the saddle on his stallion.

“Remember, he’s not working alone,” Armstrong reminded them.

In his initial briefing to Michael and Wright when he first arrived, Armstrong had filled them in on the details of the investigation.

“The most recent victims described a plain black carriage that sat outside their house before it was torched. And recall that when I saw him at the inn, my spy outside also noted a plain black carriage.”

“I doubt he could have gotten far even with help,” Wright said. “You had four men stationed at the gated entrance, and ten men along the wall that faced the main road. They would have seen something and signaled us by now.”

“Which is why I think he’s still somewhere on the property,” Michael said. “We need to search every damn building.”

“How many buildings are on the estate, besides the manor house and stable?” Armstrong asked.

“There are several, although I haven’t had a chance to investigate them.

There’s a gamekeeper’s cabin, several greenhouses, and a small gardener’s shack,” Michael said as they mounted up.

He clenched his teeth as he climbed into the saddle, pushing away the pain.

“We’ll split up. We’ll each take three guards and check the woods and the vacant buildings.

If you find anything, signal,” he added.

If anything happened to Emma, he would never forgive himself. She’d been working on that salve for him—he was certain of it. She must have made more for his birthday and had forgotten it in that room in the stables. Damn it!

My God! What if she’s dead? Michael chilled at the thought. She can’t be dead. I won’t let her be.

“I know you’re imagining all sorts of things that could have happened to Emma,” Armstrong said, as though reading his mind.

“But keep in mind how strong and courageous she is. She went into a burning house and secured what she needed, then gathered two horses from the stable and delivered her niece to safety.”

Michael nodded as they rode off. He knew Emma was the bravest woman he’d ever met, but he also knew that Morgrave was a madman.

Please, God, keep her safe!

~*~

Emma’s head throbbed, and she had rope burns around her ankles and wrists, a stark reminder of her captivity.

Confusion clouded her thoughts as she pondered what substance the man had used to render her unconscious.

A fog enveloped her mind making it difficult to think.

Adding to her distress, she found herself sitting on a dusty, foul-smelling mattress, teeming with bugs of some type—and Lord knew what else, given how itchy her skin was.

Her eyes stung, no doubt from the dust, and she felt something crawling on her leg, beneath her skirt, which sent shivers down her spine.

Unfortunately, her hands and feet were bound, preventing her from investigating the source of her discomfort.

And she dared not shift or move, lest she attract Morgrave’s attention.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing, trying to keep from panicking.

Her thoughts drifted to Michael, who had shown her the pond and held her hand, softly rubbing her palm with his thumb.

When he pointed out the small, flat-bottomed boat, he’d mentioned teaching her to fish.

She wasn’t certain she really wanted to learn, but the idea of spending time with Michael on a boat, on a sunny day, sounded wonderful.

She could remember his scent as though he were right there beside her: leather, sandalwood, and soap.

Somehow, she had to make it out of here alive.

If she did, she would tell him. Tell him how she felt.

Even if his feelings weren’t the same as hers, she didn’t care.

She just wanted him to know how much she loved him.

How much she cared about him. And how she wanted him to live a happy and full life, even if it wouldn’t be with her. She wanted him to be happy.

She needed to keep her wits about her. If she wanted to escape, she had to stay aware of her surroundings.

She still felt the dizzying influence of the laudanum, and her eyes itched from the dust. Hoping she could clear them, she squeezed them shut, hoping that the tears forming would somehow wash away some of the dust, providing a little relief.

Then she looked about the room, peering into the darkness, trying to see if there was something she could use to untie herself, or as a weapon of some sort.

A door slammed open somewhere nearby, and she heard a heated argument taking place in another room.

One voice was cold and mean—it sounded like it belonged to Morgrave.

It was a voice she would never forget, for it sounded like the very devil himself.

Pushing up against the wall, she put her ear to it and tried to listen.

“Simms, it’s about time you showed yourself. Did you get the carriage through?” Morgrave rasped.

“It wasn’t easy, but I managed to find a place for it,” the man apparently named Simms replied.

“It’s parked nearby, behind the wall, beneath a grove of trees.

As you can see, I unhitched the horses and brought them.

It will make it easier. This place is heavily guarded, but I managed to locate a spot where the guards were fewer and slipped in through there.

The stone wall almost encircles the whole property.

They added several feet of height to it.

However, the horses don’t have saddles. I didn’t have time to find two, so we’ll have to ride bareback. ”

“You were supposed to steal them from the stable,” Morgrave yelled, slamming down his fist onto a hard surface. “Can’t you do anything right?”

“It stayed busy around the stable—you caused quite a stir when you took her and set the stable on fire,” Simms said in a low, steady voice.

“Did you think I was going to be able to snatch the saddles from the flames? I don’t know what dark mischief you are up to this time, but I don’t plan to pay the price for your evil.

” Simms’ voice sounded low and steady, as if he was masking fear. She prayed his bravery would hold.

“Is that right?” Morgrave said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ll do as I say, or your pretty wife and daughter will bear the consequences.”

Emma heard a chair slam to the ground, followed by a scuffle.

“Don’t threaten my family again, Morgrave,” Simms said.

“Or…what?” Morgrave demanded, his voice menacing.

Simms said nothing for a moment. “Are you ready to go to the carriage?” he asked.

“Yes,” Morgrave said.

“Did you decide where you are going?” Simms asked.

“I thought about taking the boat in Brighton to Portugal but have decided to go to Scotland instead. My mother’s family has plenty of property.

As the grandson of a Scottish laird—who still lives—I can step into that role and will be protected by my clan.

The Scots are a hearty lot. And I can marry her as soon as we cross into Scotland, so no one can kiss my woman again. ” Morgrave laughed maniacally.

“Lord Morgrave, we should leave now. There are guards on foot and horseback all around, so the sooner we leave here, the better.”

“Perhaps Lord Wilton didn’t get his money’s worth—and our presence here proves that,” Morgrave said.

“I had no trouble getting inside the estate and finding her. I only needed to wait for the right moment to snatch her. Speaking of my fire princess, I’ll get her, and we can leave.

She was still unconscious from the laudanum when you arrived.

It will be better for her if she stays that way until we cross the border.

I have plans for my beautiful fire princess—once I marry her and make her mine. ”

My God! What is he talking about? Emma gasped, startled by what she’d just overheard. Marriage? Scotland? And he’d set fire to the stables. She prayed no one was hurt, and that they’d found Finn before the fire spread.

She tried to stop herself from trembling as she heard his boots approaching.

The bastard was right about one thing. Being asleep, or rather, pretending to be asleep, would hopefully give her the element of surprise as she tried to think of a plan of escape.

Feeling in her pocket, she suddenly recalled Michael’s gift, wrapped in handkerchiefs.

She could use it to cut the rope on her hands.

Hastily, she tugged on the string and unwrapped it, shoving the handkerchiefs in one pocket.

With her hand on the penknife, she sliced through the ropes around her hands and tossed them beneath the bed.

Then, quickly, she tucked the knife in her pocket and settled back into her previous position, closing her eyes and trying to calm her panic.

Once her head cleared, she hoped she would find an opportunity to use the knife to help her escape.

The door opened, and candlelight washed over her, but Emma focused on keeping her eyes closed and her breathing even.

“There you are, my fire princess. Even sleeping on this dirty, dingy cot, you glow with fiery beauty. Ah…my dear, I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you, outside your house.

I let you escape that night, thinking I could easily snatch you whenever I chose.

But you proved to be more of a challenge to me.

But I have never backed down from a challenge.

Especially when it comes to you, my beauty,” he said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ears.

“Hmm…your hair is even more beautiful up close. The color of the flames I love so much. Sleep, my fire princess, for when we reach Scotland, I shall awaken you with a kiss and then make you mine forever,” he rasped with a low laugh that sent chills coursing up her spine.

How am I going to get away from this madman?

She prayed that Michael would find her in time.

Please, Michael. Please hurry.

~*~